{{Short description|American writer (1924–1996)}} {{for|the American sportscaster|Marv Albert}} {{Use American English|date=November 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Marvin Albert | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Marvin H. Albert | birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|1|22}} | birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | death_date = {{Death date and age|1996|3|25|1924|1|22}} | death_place = Menton, France | nationality = | other_names = | known_for = | occupation = Novelist, screenwriter | years_active = 1956–1992 }}
'''Marvin H. Albert''' (January 22, 1924 – March 25, 1996)<ref>{{cite web |last1= |first1= |title=matchID - Marvin Albert |url=https://deces.matchid.io/id/HQt2M8lIET03 |website=Fichier des décès |publisher= |access-date=16 June 2022 |language=fr |date=}}</ref> was an American writer of mystery, crime and adventure novels including ones featuring Pete (Pierre-Ange [French: Stone Angel]) Sawyer, a French-American private investigator living and working in France.
==Biography==
During World War II Albert served in the United States Merchant Marine as a radio operator. After working as the director of a Philadelphia children's theater troupe he moved to New York in 1950 and began writing and editing for ''Quick''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.quick-magazine.com/quick_magazine/about.html|title = About}}</ref> and ''Look'' magazines.
He began writing full-time over the success of his 1956 Western novel ''The Law and Jake Wade''. He sometimes wrote under pseudonyms such as Albert Conroy, Ian McAlister, Nick Quarry and Anthony Rome.<ref>{{cite news|last=Grimes|first=William|title=Marvin H. Albert, 73, an Author Of Mysteries and Biographies|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0612FC395D0C728FDDAA0894DE494D81|accessdate=20 January 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=31 March 1996}}</ref> Settings for his novels include France (where he lived for some time), Miami and the Old West. A 1975 international suspense thriller, ''The Gargoyle Conspiracy'', written under his own name, was an Edgar nominee in the category of Best Mystery Novel.
==Novels==
===Westerns=== *''The Law and Jake Wade'' (1956), filmed under the same title (1958) *''Apache Rising'' (1957), filmed as ''Duel at Diablo'' (1966) *''The Bounty Killer'' (1958), filmed as (Italian-Spanish movie) ''El Precio de un Hombre'' (1966), aka ''The Ugly Ones'' in the US. *''Renegade Posse'' (1958), filmed as ''Bullet for a Badman'' (1964) *''The Reformed Gun'' (1959) *''Rider from Wind River'' (1959) *''Posse at High Pass'' (1964)
===Westerns written under the name Al Conroy=== A series featuring the common character Clayburn. They were later reprinted in 1989-90 under Marvin Albert's own name. *''Clayburn'' (1961). *''Last Train to Bannock'' (1963) *''Three Rode North'' (1964) *''The Man in Black'' (1965), filmed as ''Rough Night in Jericho'' (1967; Albert also wrote the screenplay)
===Detective novels written under the name Al Conroy=== * ''The Road's End'' (1952) * ''The Chiselers'' (1953) * ''Nice Guys Finish Dead'' (1957) (filmed as ''À Corps À Cris'' (1989) * ''Murder in Room 13'' (1958) (filmed as ''Adieu Marin!'' (1993) * ''The Mob Says Murder'' (1958) * ''Devil in Dungarees'' (1960)
===Jake Barrow Private Eye written under the name Nick Quarry=== *''The Hoods Come Calling'' (1958) *''The Girl with No Place to Hide'' (1959) *''Trail of a Tramp'' (1960) *''Till It Hurts'' (1960) *''No Chance in Hell'' (1960) *''Some Die Hard'' (1961)
===Tony Rome series=== A series featuring the private detective Tony Rome. *''Miami Mayhem'' (As Anthony Rome - 1960), filmed as ''Tony Rome'' (1967) *''The Lady in Cement'', (As Anthony Rome, but published in England - 1961) filmed as ''Lady in Cement'' (1968) *''My Kind of Game'' (As Anthony Rome - 1962)
A 1967 television pilot under the name ''Nick Quarry'' was based on ''Tony Rome''<ref> Goldberg, Lee ''Unsold Television Pilots: 1955-1989'' Adventures in Television, 5 Jul 2015</ref>
===as Nick Quarry=== *''The Don Is Dead'' (1972) (filmed in 1972) *''The Vendetta'' (1972)
===Mafia fiction as Al Conroy=== Series character: Johnny Morini, Soldato: Man Against the Mafia.
*''Soldato!'' (1972) *''Death Grip!'' (1972) *''Strangle Hold!'' (1973) *''Murder Mission!'' (1973) *''Blood Run!'' (1973)
===Stone Angel series=== A series featuring the common character Pete Sawyer. *''The Dark Goddess'' (1978) *''Stone Angel'' (1986) *''Back in the Real World'' (1986) *''Get Off at Babylon'' (1987) *''Long Teeth'' (1987) *''The Last Smile'' (1988) *''The Midnight Sister'' (1989) *''Bimbo Heaven'' (1990) *''The Zig-Zag Man'' (1991) *''The Riviera Contract'' (1992)
===as Ian McAlister=== *''Skylark Mission'' (1973) *''Driscoll's Diamonds'' (1973) *''Strike Force 7'' (1974) *''Valley of the Assassins'' (1975)
===Other crime thrillers=== *''Lie Down with Lions'' (1959) *''The Looters'' (as Albert Conroy - 1961), filmed as ''Estouffade à la Caraïbe'' (1966) *''The Gargoyle Conspiracy'' (1975)
==Non fiction works== *''The Long White Road'' a biography of the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton *''Broadsides and Boarders'' a history of great sea captains *''The Divorce'' (1965) about Henry VIII
==Film novelizations== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * ''Party Girl'' (1958) * ''That Jane from Maine'' (1959) * ''Pillow Talk'' (1959) * ''All the Young Men'' (1960) * ''Come September'' (1961) * ''Force of Impulse'' (1961) * ''Lover Come Back'' (1962) * ''Move Over, Darling'' (1963) * ''The V.I.P.s'' (1963) * ''Palm Springs Weekend'' (1963)<ref>Dell Publishing, {{OCLC|23181101}}</ref> * ''Under the Yum Yum Tree'' (1963) * ''The Pink Panther'' (1963) * ''The Outrage'' (1964) * ''Goodbye Charlie'' (1964) * ''Honeymoon Hotel'' (1964) * ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965) * ''The Great Race'' (1965) *''Strange Bedfellows'' (1965) *''Do Not Disturb'' (1965) * ''A Very Special Favor'' (1965) * ''Crazy Joe'' (1974) as Mike Barrone * ''The Untouchables'' (1987) {{div col end}}
==TV tie-ins== *''Mr. Lucky'' (1959), an original novel based on the TV series as by Al Conroy *''Storefront Lawyers'' (1970), novelization of the pilot teleplay as by A.L. Conroy [sic]
==Screenplays== *''Duel at Diablo'' (1965) *''Rough Night in Jericho'' (1967) *''Lady in Cement'' (1968) *''A Twist of Sand'' (1968) *''The Don Is Dead'' (1973)
==Other works== As J. D. Christilian - "Scarlet Women" (1996).
As Marvin H. Albert - "Operation Lila" (1983), "The Medusa Complex", "Dancer's Progress and Schrodingers Cat"(1993 - possibly two stories in one volume) and "Hidden Lives" (1981).
==Personal life== He was survived by his artist wife Xenia Klar, one son, and one grandchild.
==In popular culture== In the movie ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'', the character Rick Dalton is seen reading and discussing a western-themed paperback novel that features a character named Tom Breezy. The novelization of ''Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'' includes an ad for the fictitious Tom Breezy book, which is identified as ''Ride a Wild Bronc'' by Marvin H. Albert.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *https://web.archive.org/web/20060507232314/http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/Marvin-Albert.html *http://www.mysteryfile.com/GM_Albert/goldmedal_albert.html
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Category:Sailors from Pennsylvania Category:20th-century American novelists Category:20th-century American male writers Category:American male novelists Category:American mystery writers Category:American crime fiction writers Category:1924 births Category:1996 deaths Category:Writers from Philadelphia Category:American Western (genre) novelists Category:Novelists from Pennsylvania Category:American expatriates in France Category:United States Merchant Mariners of World War II